Baby, you can ride my car
Ethical car seats, pushchairs, slings and carriers
Sales of equipment used to transport babies and small children
are at an all-time high – despite the falling birth rate. This may
be because the days of hand-me-downs are on the wane. Manufacturers of car
seats, prams, pushchairs, buggies and slings are apparently attempting to
boost sales by stigmatising the use of second-hand and older-style items.
Market research also points to a decrease in numbers of parents buying second-hand
baby equipment and a growing willingness to pay for premium baby products.(1)
Although there are genuine safety concerns when using second-hand baby equipment
(covered later), a major factor in purchasing decisions appears to be the
rise of celebrity culture. Famous parents such as David Beckham and the
like are often snapped parading their offspring in bells-and-whistles designer
buggies: such images have transformed these once-mundane products into aspirational
fashion items.
Move over, Mary Poppins. One brand’s website speaks
of its products’ “funky, sporty aerodynamics and a feel of luxury
and urban styling” (2) – a blurb more reminiscent of a car advert.
But do we really need three-wheelers or “all terrain” pushchairs?
Are they the baby equivalent of city dwellers’ 4x4s? According to Which?
magazine, “For everyday use around town, three wheels offer no advantages
over four.” The conventional four-wheeler on test in Which?’s
report, the Graco Mirage LiteRider, actually received the highest score
of all products rated – it was the lightest model and the easiest to
carry when folded.
Furthermore, Which? found that three-wheelers’ larger
size meant that they could be “tricky to manoeuvre in tight spaces”
and difficult to squeeze into the car boot. (3)
Codes of conduct
To add to the confusion, there is a baffling array of choice in the sector.
176 different companies advertised baby equipment in the UK in 2002 - almost
all of which were small operations producing limited ranges.(7) We contacted
all of the companies on the table requesting information on their codes
of conduct addressing workers’ rights in supplier factories.
All those
receiving a full circle either did not respond or do not have a code of
conduct on their website. All those receiving a dot have a code of conduct,
but no named independent monitoring to ensure this code is enforced. One
of the small buggy companies in this report, Bugaboo, was keen to engage
with ECRA’s request for information. A company director informed us
that although the company does not have a formal code of conduct, it took
the decision to produce its buggies in Taiwan after witnessing poor Chinese
labour conditions.
He claims that working conditions in its Taiwanese factory
are “as good as in Holland.” (8) Another of the smaller buggy manufacturers,
Baby Dan, does not have a code of conduct, but claimed that consumers could
be fairly confident that its products had been made under good working conditions
“as more than 90% of its products are manufactured in Europe at its
own factories”.9 BabyBjörn says that it uses 'independent institutes,'
but does not name them.
The only companies to receive a clear mark in this
column are Huggababy and Wilkinet as all of their products are made in the
UK, exempting them from ECRA’s rating in this report.
Second-hand safety
Industry trade bodies such as the Baby Products Association have influenced
consumer attitudes by playing up the safety concerns that need to be addressed
when using second-hand baby equipment. Although there are many important
factors to consider when inheriting or buying pre-used products, particularly
where car seats are concerned, it seems likely that the soundest advice
will come from independent sources, rather than trade organisations which
could conceivably play on parents’ natural worries in order to sell
more products.
Certainly, producing leaflets entitled: “A child’s
safety is worth every penny” strikes enough fear into parents to persuade
them to part with hundreds of pounds for a new item; but if you follow simple
safety advice when choosing second-hand equipment, it may not always be
necessary to buy new.
Buying second-hand car seats
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) advises against
buying a second-hand child car seat as you will be unaware of its history.
There is no way of knowing whether or not a second-hand seat has been involved
in a crash, and if the original instructions are missing you may fit it
incorrectly. Second-hand seats may not be designed to current safety standards
and will probably have suffered a degree of wear and tear.
New car seats needn’t be expensive – ask your local Road Safety
Department (part of your Council) whether they know of any child seat discount
schemes.
If you must use a second-hand seat, only accept one from a family member
or friend, and then only if you are absolutely certain that you know its
history, it comes with the original instructions and it is not too old.
Before you accept the seat:
- Examine it carefully for damage. Remember that not all damage to child
seats is visible to the naked eye
- Ensure the manufacturer’s instructions are available
- Ensure the seat is suitable for your child’s weight and height
- Try fitting the seat in your car - if you cannot get it to fit securely,
do not buy it
- Check that the seat meets the United Nations standard Regulation 44.03
- look for the ‘E’ mark
- Don’t buy one from a second-hand shop or through the classified ads
The useful RoSPA
website is endorsed by the UK Government’s Think! Road Safety campaign.
Environmental reporting
As is evident from the table, few companies reach the standard required
to receive a clear mark. The Swedish company Lillemor Design, which makes
the BabyBjörn brand of slings, is amongst the more environmentally
aware, stating that: “No BabyBjörn product contains cadmium, lead,
formaldehyde, phthlalates, bromine or chlorine…[or] PVC.”(11)
Unfortunately it does not make buggies or car seats. However, Baby Dan,
which does make buggies, declares that it does not use PVC in any of its
products.
Environmental issues
Obviously you’ll need some form of equipment to transport your offspring.
But it doesn’t have to be an expensive, all-terrain, ergonomically
designed machine with go-faster stripes and a plastic ring to hold your
coffee.
Across the world and across time, women (and enlightened men) have
made baby equipment using simple pieces of fabric to attach the child to
their bodies. It takes up less room, brings your baby closer to you, and
has a much lower environmental impact, in terms of the type and amount of
resources used, than a shopping trolley-sized PVC and metal pushchair.
You
can even make a baby sling at home – according to one website this
should only take about an hour – with no special skills required!(10)
Huggababy make an organic sling priced at around £44, available direct
from Huggababy on 0870 046 4844
or from Green
Baby on 0870 240 6894.
Our in-house baby expert reports that although slings are fine for young
babies, the front and back carriers (produced by BabyBjörn,
Prémaxx and
Wilkinet) are more
suitable for older babies and toddlers. Although none currently produce
an organic version, Wilkinet says it should have one ‘on the shelves’
in 2005.
Some alternative parenting writers argue that slings and carriers are better
for a baby’s wellbeing because of the close human contact they provide.
One reporter has quoted research showing that: “babies who spent more
time close to their mothers were more content to be separated from them
at 13 months; they cried and whined less when with a stranger and behaved
as if they were more secure (as compared to babies left to bounce in a soft
seat).”(12)
References
1 Keynote Baby Products 2003
2 http://www.mamasandpapas.co.uk,
viewed on 7/5/04
3 Which?, 01/02
4 Keynote Baby Products 2003
5 Ibid.
6 Keynote Baby Products 2003
7 Ibid.
8
Email from Bugaboo Design Director, 30/4/04
9 www.babydan.com,
viewed on 4/5/04
10 See http://www.lydias-legacy.com/how_to_make_a_baby_sling.htm
for the only free sling pattern we could find on the internet
11
www.babybjorn.com/index.asp?language=US,
viewed 7/5/04
12 ‘Early Days’ Timbs, O., 01/88, The Lancent,
taken from ‘Three in a Bed’, p67, Jackson, D., 1989